2024 Lodge of the Year

The Adviser's Corner

Do A Good Turn Daily

by Adam Lamkin, Lodge Adviser

Adam Lamkin, Lodge AdviserWhen I was in Scouting in my youth, I waited impatiently for the next edition of Scout Life magazine (formerly Boys’ Life) to arrive in the mail. Whether my mother paid a bit more each year to treat me to the monthly editions of the all-things-Scouting magazine, I never thought to ask (or even thank her). What I can tell you is that reading the heroic tales in Scouts In Action of other Scouts’, performing acts of heroism and feats of lifesaving was truly thrilling to enjoy.Image of Scouts In Action cartoon from Scouts Life magazine

Yesterday, I stumbled across a brand-new South Carolina driver’s license and Social Security card in the parking lot of my neighborhood shopping center. It was one of those Candid-Camera tv show moments when I looked around, sure I was being tested. Nobody near me resembled the picture in the license, and I wondered how concerned the owner was about having lost two of their most important and sensitive pieces of identification.

A quick online search revealed nothing of the owner, but I figured the address listed on a new license was reliable; so, I tracked down the owner at the listed address. As you might imagine, they were cautiously appreciative, clearly thankful to have back their identification, but likely wondering how far a total stranger can be trusted. I must have an honest face, because they were truly appreciative of my efforts to reunite them with their missing identification.

So, is my good turn all that remarkable? Should I forward the details to Scout Life magazine? As much I enjoy being appreciated, sadly my small, good deed doesn’t rise to the level of heroism and self-sacrifice as the stories I read in my youth. However, the owner seemed appreciative of my efforts, and that is more than enough reward for my small act of kindness.

I’ll close with some advice I recently shared with the Lodge Executive Committee: take time to enjoy your small successes, having set meaningful but achievable goals. These “wins” accumulate quickly, and each achievement will seem to unlock the next. Indeed, you can get a lot of satisfaction from a job well done, even small jobs that only a few may notice.